DE 41 35 411 A1 reveals a semiconductor component having a multiplicity of active cells. The cells may be configured as MOS cells. For the purpose of making external electrical contact, the semiconductor component has contact areas or bonding areas, which are also referred to as bonding pads or pads. The bonding areas are applied as metal layers or metalizations on the top side of the semiconductor component or over the active cells of the semiconductor component. The bonding areas may be composed of aluminum and have a rectangular shape.
Active cells may be present in a strip cell arrangement for example in the case of so-called strip cell IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor). The active cells may also be patterned two-dimensionally in the X-Y direction by virtue of cells being formed regularly periodically in the X direction and e.g. in the Y direction orthogonal thereto. The active cells have a main longitudinal direction which, in the case of rectangular or elongate cells, essentially runs parallel to a main boundary line of the cell.
During the bonding operation, i.e. the electrically conductive connection of a bonding wire to an assigned bonding area, use is made of a bonding tool with an oscillating head. The oscillating head oscillates in a so-called bonding direction (also referred to as main oscillation direction herein-after) in order, by virtue of the oscillation energy thus applied, to effect a connection of a region (the so-called bonding base) of a connecting wire (bonding wire) to the bonding area. This operation is also referred to as “ultra-sonic wedge bonding”.
DE 41 35 411 A1 says nothing about the orientation of the main oscillation direction (bonding direction) with regard to the main boundary line of the active cell.